Rabi’u Kwankwaso, the vice presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said that the North does not always have to rule Nigeria.
He was reported to have made the statement during an interview programme on News Central Television.
He was explaining his choice to back a Southern presidential candidate.
The former governor of Kano state said that the North believes in fairness, justice and mutual respect between the two regions.
“Is there a school of thought that says the North must always rule Nigeria?” Kwankwaso asked. “Look at where I am now, that school of thought is not universal.
I don’t have to put it in words. That argument I don’t think can stand on our side by what I am doing now, being vice to somebody from the South.
“So believe, North, I can tell you, believe in fairness, we believe in justice and we believe in mutual respect between the South and the North. And we’ve said that from the beginning,” he said.
Meanwhile Kwankwaso said he believes that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will live up to his promise of one term.
Reports say the former governor of Kano State made this known during an interview with Mr Kay on News Central’s 60 Minutes.
When asked if Obi would be running for president after the proposed arrangement, Kwankwaso said the NDC flagbearer is a gentleman and will keep his promise.
“I personally believe that Peter Obi is a gentleman and I have every reason to trust him, particularly that he said it to the hearing of everybody. “Nobody should have any reason to doubt him,” said Kwankwaso.
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The basis of the power-sharing arrangement in the NDC, he said, was mutual trust and consensus among the coalition partners.
Kwankwaso also said the decision to allow the South to complete an eight-year tenure is consistent with the understanding reached by members of the alliance.
“But we believe the southern part of the country should complete its second term and with that, and to the hearing of everybody in this country, I don’t believe any gentleman would want to renege, would want to say no or change his or her mind,” he said.
“The coalition has also drawn a common governance roadmap for whoever eventually leads the country,” the former Kano State governor added, noting that the coalition had a shared governance roadmap beyond individual ambitions.
He said the NDC’s priority is to implement its agreed agenda rather than pursue the interest of any particular bloc in politics.
More importantly, we as a collective have a short term, medium term and of course long term plan for this country. “It doesn’t matter if it is him from the Obidient side, or my humble self from the Kwankwasiyya side or another side, we believe we have an agenda,” he said.
Kwankwaso stressed that the coalition would work to ensure continuity of its programmes irrespective of who occupies the presidency in future.
“We will as much as possible ensure that whoever comes, maybe Peter, maybe me or any other person, would stick to that programme,” he added.
